The librarians in the East Los Angeles Library system have
noticed an unsettling trend. Library patrons age 21 and younger would run up a
few late fees, and then they’d simply stop coming in or checking anything out. "Ten
dollars, absolutely, for some people that's a huge barrier," says LA
County Library Director Skye Patrick. “This program is really to invite them
back into the library, to make libraries accessible to them and their families."
Because these are precisely the sort of patrons they wanted to encourage, the
library instituted a program called “The Great Read-Away.” Young readers can “pay”
off their debt by reading. Children's librarian Xuemin Zhong says she sees kids
reading away fees daily. "I've seen as low as a couple of cents to as high
as a couple hundred dollars," Zhong said. "And I've seen kids read
that away because they have the commitment to do so."
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